Daddy Mine
by LoolabelleMiracle
Summary: Stacy shows back up at the hospital, this time with someone else with her. Yup, you guessed it- House is a daddy.
1. Chapter 1

"House, what are you doing?" Cuddy demanded as she stormed into his office.

"I am about to beat level 6." He replied distractedly, then frowned as he lost the battle. "Damn. It took me two hours to get to that level."

"Two hours that you were supposed to be in the clinic. I want you down there in 5 minutes or I'm docking your pay." She said and walked out of his office. House considered taking the pay cut, but he had his eyes on two Monster Truck tickets that were completely kick-ass. He could probably suck Wilson into paying for them, but there was only 12 hours left on the deal and he couldn't chance missing these tickets. Pocketing his Gameboy, he grabbed his cane and limped out of his office. As he headed for the elevator he wondered if he would be able to get away with only an hour of clinic duty, but stopped as a little boy blocked his way.

"Come on, kid, move. I need to go wipe some crotches." He said, but the boy just stared at him. House studied the child out of habit, trying to figure out if he was sick or not. About 5 years old, dark hair, blue eyes, looked healthy enough.

"Danny!" cried a familiar voice and House's head shot up.

"Stacy?" he asked, watching as she ran over and grabbed the boy's arm. "What…what are you doing here?"

"Hey, House. I was, um, just in the area and thought I would drop by." She replied, then looked at the boy. "Danny, I told you not to wander off."

"Sorry, Mommy." The boy said, looking at his feet.

"So, he's yours?"

"Yes. His name is Daniel. Thank you for finding him."

"I didn't find him, he blocked my way to the elevator. I need to get going. See ya." He said and turned around, heading the other direction. His mind was spinning as he walked away. Stacy had a son. He guessed that she and Mark had worked everything out after they left. The boy looked a lot like her….but nothing like Mark. As he turned the corner, House stopped and leaned against the wall weakly. The boy looked nothing like Mark…he was about 5 years old…Stacy's eyes were brown, Mark's green. Of course, genetics said that a person could have blue eyes without either parent having blue eyes, but it was rare and the boy's eyes were familiar. Too familiar. Oh, crap. House turned back around the corner but the hallway was empty. No problem, he knew Stacy would be back soon enough. In the meantime, he just had to figure out how to avoid her… and the kid.


	2. Chapter 2

He was successful for the rest of the day, but he saw traces of Stacy's visit everywhere he looked. Cuddy didn't argue when he ducked out of the clinic 15 minutes early. Wilson hovered a little closer than what was normal, even for Wilson. And nobody spoke about Stacy once during the whole day. House had no doubt that she had seen other people while she was there, and she couldn't have hidden the boy the whole time. Then why hadn't anyone else said anything about her.

At the end of the day, House headed home, confused and distracted. It was probably because of this distraction that he didn't notice that his front door was unlocked and he walked inside.

"You're home late for you." Said the voice he had been expecting to hear. Turning, he hung his cane up on the wall and faced her. "I figured you would have skipped out early like usual."

"It was a busy day. Ive got a case." He replied and she grinned. She could always tell when he was lying.

"How long did it take you to figure it out?" she asked and he knew exactly what she was referring to.

"About 30 seconds. It was his eyes. They don't look anything like yours or Mark's." he said and she nodded. "Why didn't you tell me, Stacy?"

"Because I didn't think you would accept him. You don't let anyone in anymore, and I didn't want to put him through that. But, then Mark figured it out and refused to have anything to do with him and I figured at this point you were the only hope for a father figure to him." Stacy explained.

"Does the kid know?" House asked and she shook her head.

"No. He knows that Mark isn't his father, he heard us arguing one night about it. But he doesn't know who his father is. I didn't want to tell him until I knew how you felt about it." She replied.

"So, what do you want from me? Child support?"

"Of course not! You know better than that, Greg. I only ask one thing of you- spend one day with him."

"What?"

"One day. If you don't want to have anything to do with him after that one day, then we will leave and you wont hear from us or see either of us again. But, if you do want to be part of his life after, then maybe we can figure something out." Stacy said and House sighed and stood silently. "Look, Danny and I are going to be in town for a couple of days, staying with some friends nearby. You don't have to decide now, just think about it. If you want to see him, here is my number. If you don't, then I will leave Sunday and not bother you anymore. Okay?"

"Fine." He grunted and she left. "Great…now what?"

A/N: Just a reminder that I love Reviews! Please just let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

"Stacy is back." House said the next morning, walking into Wilson's office.

"I know, I saw her yesterday." Wilson replied, looking closely at House. "Did you see the boy with her?"

"Yeah. He's mine." House said and Wilson leaned back.

"What are you going to do?"

"She showed up at my apartment last night and made me an offer. I can spend a day with the kid and decide whether I want to be a part of his life, or I cannot call her back and I won't have to have anything to do with him…or her."

"So, which are you going to do?" Wilson asked and House sat down.

"I don't know. I never thought about being a father. God knows no kid needs me as a dad. But she wasn't wearing her ring last night, which means her and Mark are finally over. This could be my chance to finally get her back for good, guilt free." House said.

"So, spend the day with Danny and make your decision after. What is it going to hurt?"

"If nothing else, it will give me time to find out more about Stacy." House said, agreeing and Wilson frowned.

"House, don't use your child just to manipulate Stacy to come back to you. It isn't fair to him or her and won't lead to anything except hurt for all of you." Wilson warned and House nodded distractedly. Wilson wondered if House had really heard him as the older doctor stood and left the room without another word.

"Saturday. Meet me at the apartment with the kid." House said into the phone when Stacy answered. He had gone back to his office and stared at the number for an hour before calling her.

"'The kid's' name is Danny. And we will be there at 9:00." Stacy said and House sighed.

"Fine. Danny. Whatever. See you then." He replied and hung up the phone. As usual, he felt a pit forming in his stomach telling him that this was a mistake. But something else also told him that this was his last chance.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! I wasn't going to continue, but then I saw the nice things you said. Keep them coming! LM


	4. Chapter 4

House took a deep breath as he heard the knock on the door. Making sure he had everything he needed, he limped to the door and opened it.

"At least you knocked this time instead of breaking in." he said and Stacy smirked.

"I didn't break in, I used the not-so-well-hidden-key." She replied. "Danny, this is my friend Greg. Can you say 'hello'?"

"Hello." Danny said. House was just going to grunt back but a sharp look from Stacy changed his mind.

"Hey, kid." He said without his usual gruffness and Stacy smiled, pleased. Good, thought House, let's keep her happy.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Lead the way." He replied and followed them out. He sat down in the front of Stacy's car, waiting impatiently while Stacy assured that Danny was safely buckled in. Finally, they were on their way. "So where are we going?"

"There is a park not too far from here. I thought that would be a good place to start." She said and House sighed. It was going to be a long day.

"So, when did you and Mark split?" House asked as he and Stacy sat on a bench, watching Danny play.

"About three years ago. We tried to stay together after Danny was born but I finally couldn't handle the bitterness and guilt and he couldn't stand Danny because of whose son he is." Stacy replied. "It didn't help once Danny started talking. He is a lot like you with people he doesn't like. The final straw was when Danny found out Mark wasn't his father and didn't seem to care."

"But he was only two then. He couldn't possible remember…"

"Like I said, he's your son. He's too smart for his own good and he remembers just fine. As soon as he found out he never called Mark 'Daddy' again, not once."

"And after the divorce, where did you go?" House asked.

" Danny and I moved to Warwick, New York. " she answered. "He started first grade this past fall. They wanted to put him in second but I don't want such an age difference between him and his classmates."

"Makes sense. The kid already has a disadvantage in dealing woth people if he is mine; no sense in making it harder on him." House said and Stacy sighed.

"Would you please stop calling him 'the kid'? He is your son and his name is Daniel or Danny. I-"

"Mama?" Danny called as he ran over to them. "Will you push me on the swings?"

"Sure, H- Hey. Why don't you ask Greg to push you." She suggested and liked at House pointedly. "Im sure he would love to."

"Greg, would you push me?" Danny asked and House frowned. He wanted to keep talking to Stacy but he had to play nice with the kid- Danny- to make her happy. Crap.

"Fine." He grunted and limped to the swings. Danny climbed on and House gave him a push. The boy slowly went higher and finally House stopped pushing.

"Higher!" Danny demanded and House rolled his eyes.

"Swing your legs up as you go forward and down as you go backwards." He said and Danny did as told, missing the correct rhythm. House adjusted his form. It took a couple of more tries but eventually Danny got the hang of it.

"Look, Mom!" Danny shouted excitedly. "Greg taught me how to do it!"

"Good job, Danny!" Stacy called back as House limped back over to the bench and sat down. "You did well with him." She said quietly. House didn't reply but looked at his watch as saw that only an hour had passed. Oh yeah….a very long day.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: As a reward for hitting 10 reviews, I am posting a nice, long chapter! Thank you guys for the great advice and positive thoughts. Of course, the more you review, the longer the chapters will be because reviews are my muse! Thanks and enjoy!

After the park the three went to McDonald's for lunch. Danny, of course, got a Happy Meal with a toy car inside. Stacy watched as House sent the car back to Danny over and over and, once, even made car sounds. She knew it would take time for him to warm up to the child, but Danny already idolized him. She truly hoped he would want to be a part of Danny's life. They would be good for each other.

For House's part, he was still consumed with Stacy. But, he had to admit that the kid- Danny! - was cute. He could tell that he was smart for his age and couldn't help but feel a little pride.

"Greg, are you a doctor?" Danny asked as he chewed the last of his French fries.

"Yes."

"Do you give people shots?"

"No. I have people that do that for me." House replied.

"Like a secretary?"

"Like three secretaries."

"Wow! That's cool!" Danny said in awe.

"Very."

"Greg?"

"Yes?"

"Are you my daddy?" Danny asked and House and Stacy froze. He looked at Stacy wondering what her answer would be- because he sure didn't know what to say. Fortunately, Stacy was an expert in dealing with her child.

"Hey, Danny, why don't you go play in the ball pit?" she suggested and Danny happily ran off.

"That was close." House breathed. "Are you going to tell him?"

"That's up to you, Greg. If you're not going to be a part of his life, then I don't see any point in telling him. It would only break his hears in the long run." She replied and House sighed.

"I wouldn't be a good father, Stacy. I …I don't even know how to be a father. Mine certainly was a lousy example." House said quietly and Stacy took his hand.

"Greg, you are nothing like your father. No matter how much of a jerk you are to adults, when it comes to children you are a natural. You have always done well with kids, and Danny will be no exception." She said but House shook his head.

"That's different. This is 'my' kid, not one that I can play nice with for a few days while diagnosing them and then just let them go home with their idiot parents. This one will be around forever. I will screw the kid up." He said and Stacy just laughed.

"Of course you will! All parents crew their kids up. But you would be a good father if you decide to just try. All I am asking for today is to think about it. No more, no less."

"Okay." He replied, then, "And what about us?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I decide to do this with the ki- Danny, is there any chance of an 'us' maybe?" he asked and Stacy pulled her hand away from his.

"Don't do this if that's what you want." She snapped and House leaned away from her fury. "If you do this, it is for Danny."

"I know! That's not my reasoning." He lied. "It was just a question."

"Well, decide based on your son. Don't make me part of the bargain." She said firmly, but calmer.

"I won't." House said out loud. Mentally, though, he was cursing.

After lunch they decided to go back to House's apartment. Stacy had brought a movie for Danny to watch with the thought it would help if Greg saw Danny in a quiet, comfortable setting. Walking in, Danny went straight to the piano.

"Hey, don't touch that." House warned quickly and Danny frowned sadly.

"Greg, let him play. I think you'll be surprised." Stacy said and he sighed.

"Fine." He said and Danny climbed onto the bench. House expected to hear random banging on the keys, so was surprised when he heard a simple but perfect rendition of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' followed by the theme to 'SpongeBob Squarepants'. "Not bad. How long have you been taking lessons?"

"I'm not. Mom won't let me. I just…poked it out." Danny replied, unsure of the correct terminology and House couldn't hide that he was impressed.

"He plays by ear?" he asked Stacy, who nodded proudly.

"Since he was three, actually. I was waiting until he is a little older to put him in lesson." She explained. House looked back at Danny and limped over to the piano.

"Close your eyes." He said and Danny giggled as he did as told. House played the first few notes of 'Fleur de Lise'. "Now, try and play that." Danny pressed a few keys, made a couple of mistakes, corrected himself, and within a few minutes had the song picked out.

Stacy sat down on the sofa and watched as House sat down beside Danny on the bench. Within an hour he had taught Danny four songs. It was obvious that House was deeply impressed with his son.

"Not exactly Beethoven, but he definitely has a gift." He said and Danny beamed.

"Greg, will you play something?" Danny asked and House nodded. Danny moved to sit by his mother as House began to play 'Moonlight Sonata'. Stacy had almost forgotten how beautifully Greg played and quickly lost herself in the music. As House brought the song to a quiet close, she found herself opening her eyes and noticed that Danny had fallen asleep. She laid him don't fully on the sofa and covered him with a blanket.

"I'll have to remember that at bedtime" she said quietly and they moved to the kitchen so they would wake Danny. House put on a pot of coffee and sat down while it brewed. Stacy couldn't help but watch as he unconsciously rubbed his right thigh.

"It got better for a while after you left last time." he said as if reading her mind. "A guy came into my office and shot me. Cuddy treated with ketamine and my leg didn't hurt for months after. But, it came back."

"I'm sorry, Greg." She said and he felt she meant more than his failed treatment. Stacy gazed out at Danny sleeping peacefully and House's eyes followed.

"I have to say you've done well with him." House said and she smiled.

"Thank you. He has really taken a liking to you. It's kind of strange, actually. He never bonded with Mark."

"I want to be a part of this, Stacy." He said suddenly and she looked back at him. "I…can't swear that I will be a good parent, or even a decent one, but I guess I can try."

"That's all anyone can do and I think you'll surprise yourself. I truly believe that you will be a good dad." Stacy said. Well, thought House, at least that makes one of us.


End file.
